There where some rumours about it back in November 2007, and today the FFF officially announced a football kit deal with Nike. US sportswear giant Nike has won the contract to supply the France international football team from 2011-18 at a cost of 42.6 million euros a year, the French football federation said Friday.
Nike fought off competition from Adidas, the German sportswear manufacturers who have supplied the team since 1972, and Airness, a smaller French company, to win the bidding process. Federation president Jean-Pierre Escalettes said money had talked as the proposals by both Nike and Adidas had been very similar in quality.
"It's the financial aspect that made the difference," Escalettes said. "I had neither the moral nor legal capacity to take any other decision."
Escalettes revealed that the seven-and-a-half season contract was worth 320 million euros, a massive four-and-a-half times that of the existing contract.
Nike threw in a seasonal kit donation for all French national teams worth 2.5 million euros a year.
There remain two tournaments in which France will compete wearing Adidas kit, the Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup, the latter reliant on the French side ensuring their qualification.
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Les Bleus will wear Adidas gear at this year's European Championship and at the 2010 World Cup if it qualifies.
